Facing-tile.



P. o. GIDBON.

FAOING TILE.

. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 15, 19114 1,021,405. Patented Mar. 26,r 1912.

z SHEETS-SHEET 1.

I. o. GIDBON.

PAOING TILE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 15, 1911.

Patented 111211126, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

PM co., WASHINGTON. u. c, 4

FRANCIS C. GIDEON, OF BALLSTON, VIRGINIA.

Eiserne-TILE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 26, 1.912.

Application filed June 15, 1911. Serial' No. 633,438.

T all whom it 'may concern.' y

Be it known that I, FRANCIS C. GIDEoN, citizen of the United States, residing at Ballston, in the county of VAlexandria and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in- Facing-Tile, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to building construction and more particularly to a novel form of facing tile or slab especially designed for application to hollow concrete or terra-cotta walls as an ornamental finish to the exterior face thereof.

The primary object of the invention 1s to provide an ornamental tile or slab capable of being readily applied to the face of a wall and adapted to break oint with the hollow blocks forming the body thereof 'so as to prevent the entrance of moisture through the mortar joints to the inner face of the wall.

A further object is to provide the hollow building blocks and facing tiles with mortar receiving grooves arranged at an .angle to each other, thus to form a plastic bond between the parts and eifectually preventaccidental displacementof said facing tiles.v Y

A further object is to form. the several facing slabs or tiles with overlapping beveled edges which serveto lock the tiles against lateral displacement incident to eX- pansion and contraction of the material, and

A still further object of the invention is` generally tovimprove this class` of devices so as to increase their utility, durability and Y pear in the following description, it being' efficiency.

Further objects and advantages will apunderstood that various changes in v form, proportions and minor 'details of const-ruc- "11"- tion may be resorted to within the'scope of the appended claims. f

`For a full understanding of the invention and the merits thereof, reference is to be Ahad to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a wall provided wit-h facing tiles or slabs constructed in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional ,view taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 3 and looking in the direction of the arrow; Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2 and looking in the direction of the arrow; Fig. t is a perspective view of one of the hollow building blocks detached; Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a portion of one of the facingl tiles or slabs detached; Fig. 6` is a similar view, showing a different form of facing tile or slab; Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional view of a facing tile or slab having flat or square edges and provided on its inner face with substantially elliptical mortar receiving grooves; Fig. 8 is a similar view, showing the inner face of the slab or tile provided with mortar receiving grooves substantially circular inv cross section ;V Fig. 9is a front elevation of a portion of a wall, showing the Vfacing tiles or slabs made relatively small to imitate a brick facing.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

The improved tile or slab forming the subject `matter of the presentinvention is principally adapted for use Vas .a facing for the walls `of artificial stone or buildings and by way of illustration is shown applied to a portion of a wall comprising a plurality of hollow building blocks 5 formed of terracot-ta, concrete or otherk suitable material laid in superposed courses and arranged to Vbreak joint in the usual manner.

Each block 5 is preferably provided with a plurality of intersecting webs 6 defining intermediate chambers 7, preferably opening through ,the top and bottom of the block so as to permit the free passage of air through the wall, although if desired, these blocks may be solid or formed with one or more air passages. Formed in the exterior walls of the blocks 5, are vertically disposed mortar receiving grooves 8, preferably dove-tail in cross section, the dove-tail groovesat the ends of the blocks, serving to receive the mortar at the junction of adjacent Vblocks to form a bond for said blocks,

and the vertical grooves at the outer side faces of the blocks, serving to receive aplastic binding medium, such as cement or mortar 9 when applying the slabs or tiles 10 to the outer face of a wall.

The facing slabs or tiles 10 are preferably substantially rectangular in shape and formed of burnt clay, concrete or other suitable material, each tile having its outer face preferably cut or chipped in imitation of stone or brick, and its inner face provided with a plurality of horizontally disposed grooves 11, also preferably dove-tail in cross section, adapted to receive the mortar 9 and thus retain the facing slabs or tiles in position on the outer surface of the wall. If desired, however, the outer faces of the tiles or slabs 10, may be smooth or rough cast or made to imitate sand finish, pebble-dash, stipple finish, or provided with other surface ornamentation according to the type of structure in connection with which they are used.

The horizontal and vertical edges of each tile or slab are preferably inclined or beveled at 12 and adapted to overlap the corresponding beveled edges of adjacent tiles so as to lock said tiles on all four edges and thus assist in preventing lateral displacement of the tiles incident to expansion and contraction of the material.

It will here be noted that the tiles or slabs 10 are positioned on the outer face of the wall with the mortar receiving joints between the tiles or slabs arranged to break joint with the mortar joints 13 of the blocks 5 so that said tiles overlap or cover the joints 13 and thus serve to prevent the entrance of moisture through the joints to the interior face of the wall.

It will also be noted that the mortar receiving grooves 11 of the tiles or slabs are arranged at substantially right angles to the mortar receiving grooves 8 of the building blocks 5 so that said tiles are bonded in both a horizontal and vertical plane and thus effectually retained in position on the wall. Such a construction also materially reduces the cost of erecting a wall, inasmuch as only a very thin layer of mortar or other plastic binding medium is needed to retain the tiles in position on the wall,this being due to the fact that the plastic binding material enters the grooves of both the blocks and tiles and forms in eifect a mechanical bond or lock between the parts, as before stated. One of the mortar receiving grooves 11 of each tile or slab 10 preferably spans the junction of the blocks in adjacent courses, as indicated at 14 in Fig. 3 of the drawings, so that a portion of the mortar in the horizontal joints of the blocks will extend within the grooves 11 and assist in anchoring the tiles or slabs. If desired, however, the tiles or slabs 10 may be placed on the wall with the ribs 15 thereof overlapping the horizontal mortar oints 16, without departing from the spirit of t-he invention.

Suitable auxiliary mortar receiving grooves 16 are preferably formed in the vertical ribs 17 of the building blocks, and similar auxiliary grooves 18 in the ribs 19 of the facing slabs or tiles, to assist in causing the mortar 9 to adhere to the abutting faces thereof. The upper and lower edges of the facing slabs or tiles are also preferably provided with longitudinal mortar receiving grooves 20, opening through the beveled vert-ical edges of said tiles, to insure a firm union between the tiles.

lVhen the slabs or tiles are made square in shape, the inner faces thereof are preferably provided with two or more mortar receiving grooves, but when the slabs or tiles are of oblong formation, one or more of said mortar receiving grooves will suffice, as indicated at 9 in Fig. 6 of the drawings.

In Fig. 7' of the drawings, there is illustrated a modified form of facing tile or slab, in which the edges of the tile are flat or square and the mortar receiving grooves 11 in the inner face thereof substantially elliptical in cross section, while in Fig. S, the mortar receiving grooves 11 are shown circular in cross section. It is to be understood, however, that the grooves in the inner faces of the tiles or slabs may be of any desired cross sectional formation, capable of retaining the mortar therein, without departing` from the spirit of the invention.

In Fig. 8, there is illustrated a further modification, in which the surface slabs or tiles 10 are relatively long and narrow to imitate ordinary rough or pressed brick, the construction of the wall being otherwise 105 similar to that shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings.

If desired, a suitable pigment may be added to the material forming the tiles or slabs to color the same, and in some cases, 110 said tiles or slabs may be tinted or colored after the tiles are formed.

It will of course be understood that the tiles may be made in dierent sizes and shapes and provided with any desired num- 115 ber of mortar receiving grooves, and that the exterior or exposed faces of the tiles may be provided with any desired surface ornamentation, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

While the tiles or slabs are principally designed for application to the exterior walls of buildings, it is obvious that said tiles may be employed with equally good results for facing floors, partitions, ceilings and the 125 like, or wherever a tile or slab of this character is found desirable or applicable.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A wall having mortar receiving grooves, facing tiles forming a finishing surface for the wall and also provided with mortar receiving grooves, the grooves in the wall and tiles being arranged at an angle to each other, and a plastic binding medium interposed between the wall and tiles and extending within said grooves, whereby to form a mechanical bond between the parts.

2. A wall having vertical mortar receiving grooves, facing tiles having horizontal mortar receiving grooves, and a plastic binding medium interposed between the wall and facing tiles and extending within the grooves, whereby to form a mechanical lock between the parts.

8. A wall having a plurality of vertically disposed dove-tail mortar receiving grooves in the outer face thereof, facing tiles having horizontally disposed dove-tail grooves formed in the inner faces thereof and arranged at an angle toand crossing the grooves in the wall, and a plastic binding medium interposed between the wall and tiles and extending within the grooves, whereby to form a mechanical bond between the parts. c,

4. A wall including a plurality of superposed blocks havingy vertical mortar receiving grooves formed therein, interlocking facing tiles arranged to break joint with theblocks and having horizontal grooves formed in the inner faces thereof, and a `plastic binding medium interposed between the outer faces of the blocks and the inner faces of the tiles and extending within the' grooves in both the blocks and tiles, whereby to form a mechanical bond between the parts.

5. A wall including a plurality of super- Copies of this patent may be obtained for thin layer of plastic binding material interposed between the blocks and facing tiles and extending within the grooves in the wall and tiles to form a mechanical bond between the parts.

6. A wall having vertical mortar receiving grooves, a plurality of facing tiles having their inner faces provided with horizontal mortar receiving grooves arranged at substantially right angles to the mortar receiving grooves in the wall, the upper and lower longitudinal edges and end walls of the tiles vbeing inclined to present parallel beveled edges, and the upper and lower beveled edges of said tiles being provided with grooves, and a plastic binding medium.

interposed between the blocks and tiles and extending within the grooves, whereby to form a mechanical lock between the parts.

7. A facing tile including a flat relatively thin body portion having its upper and lower edges and opposite end walls inclined to present parallel beveled edges, there being spaced horizontal mortar receiving grooves formed in the inner face of saidtile.

8. A facing tile including a flat relatively t-hin solid body portion having its upper and lower edges and opposite end walls inclined to present parallel beveled edges and its inner face provided with longitudinal mortar receiving grooves opening` through the beveled end walls of the tile and defining intermediate ribs, there being longitudinal mortar receiving grooves formed in the beveled upper and lower edges `of the tiles, and auxiliary grooves formed in the'ribs between the grooves in the inner face of said tile.

9. A facing tile including a relatively thin body portion having its upper and lower edges and opposite end walls inclined to present parallel beveled edges, there being spaced mortar receiving grooves formed in the inner face of the tile and extending in the direction of the length thereof.

v In testimony whereof, I aiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANCIS C. GIDEON. [1.. s] l Witnesses:

THos. H. JOHNSTON, SAMUEL N. ACKER.

ve cents each, byladdressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

